Renovations are under way and credit union officials expect to move several teams to the location later this year.

"This location solves our long-standing need to consolidate numerous operations functions," said Greylock President Marilyn Sperling. "We have looked at more than a dozen locations and were pleased to obtain lease terms in Allendale that will actually decrease our real estate expenses while accommodating the long-term growth of the credit union."

The company's doubled its staff and tripled its assets since moving in 1998 into its 20,000 square-foot headquarters, a location expected to accommodate 20 years of growth. Sperling said the building was completely filled by 2004.

The end space on the L-shaped shopping center has been leased sporadically since the closure of KB ToyWorks and the company's liquidation several years ago. The KB headquarters on West Street next to the credit union was recently purchased by Laurin Publishing.

As the credit union has grown over the last 15 years, operational personnel have been scattered in three locations throughout Pittsfield, said Sperling. "When the moves are complete, we will have a larger footprint with greater efficiency and lower costs."

The Allendale site will also become a new central sales and processing site for Greylock Insurance Agency, providing a more convenient location for members in Cheshire, Dalton and other towns.

In addition to the insurance presence, Greylock plans to move the following functions and departments to the Allendale space, representing about 75 employees in total:

Deposit & Loan Operations

Call Center

Electronic Services

Marketing

Learning Center

The credit union as 245 employees and $1.2 billion in assets.

Plastics Company Opening Location in Adams Park

05:15PM / Thursday June 14, 2012

ADAMS, Mass. — A plastic sheet supplier and recycler is opening a new site in the Adams Corporate Park.

Optiglass PC LLC is a supplier of polycarbonate sheet and film, in association with bGreenplastic, a customized recycling service for plastic companies, both headquartered in North Carolina.

Rick Filiault, president and found of both companies, is a former account manager with GE Plastics.

Filiault said his goals is to "reawaken the foundation of plastic services in Berkshire County, and facilitate this process with passion and integrity."

"After growing up and working in Berkshire County, I felt that I needed to expand my business here, as Pittsfield is a global center of the plastic industry," he said.

Filiault said he is dedicated to the practice of sustainability and preventing plastic from reaching landfills.

Carrie Loholdt, the manager for the business's newest site, said the expansion will only better the quality of service for both Optiglass PC and bGreenplastic.

"Because our spectrum of business is continuously growing, the move to Adams ... made sense logistically in order to serve our customers ranging from northern New Jersey up to New York and Vermont with greater convenience."

Optiglass and bGreenplastic has two sites in North Carolina and one in Massachusetts, which allows the business to more efficiently service customers, as well as sustainable procedures, said Loholdt.

Cranwell Opening New Carriage House In July

The new Carriage House draws on the former's 1890s structure, according to a press release on PR Web. The original plans were located in the Boston Public Library; Cutler Associates is the current architect and Hughes Design Associates is doing the interior design.

The building will house 15 queen doubles, two kings and a king suite. It is connected to the Spa at Cranwell by a glass-enclosed, heated walkway.

"We are very excited about re-opening the Carriage House, which had long been a favorite of our year-round guests visiting the Berkshires," said Carl Pratt, general manager, in the release.

Firefighters from 20 departments fought the December 2010 afternoon blaze that gutted the building. Investigators pointed to space heaters set between floors as the likely culprits. No one was injured. The resort almost immediately announced it would rebuild.

LENOX, Mass. — NBT Bank officials and area dignitaries celebrated the opening in Lenox on Wednesday of the bank's fifth Berkshire County office.

The NBT Bank of Lenox, located at 2 Holmes Road, officially opened Feb. 7 and features a full service drive-up lane, night depository facilities, coin counting machine and a 24-hour ATM.

"We are pleased to announce the opening of our new Lenox Office that provides us with another opportunity to offer residents and businesses convenient access to our unique brand of community banking," NBT Bank Vice President and Area Manager Daniel Kinney said. "The opening of this office symbolizes NBT Bank's commitment to the local community and the Berkshire region."

NBT Bank offers personal banking, asset management and business services through a network of 132 banking locations in four states. NBT Bank and its parent company, NBT Bancorp Inc., are headquartered in Norwich, N.Y. NBT Bancorp Inc. had assets of $5.6 billion as of Dec. 31, 2011, and is traded on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol NBTB.

SABIC Unveils Plastics Technology for Secure IDs

08:43PM / Tuesday November 15, 2011

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — SABIC Innovative Plastics debuted two new Lexan film technologies at the Cartes & IDentification in Paris on Monday.

The polycarbonate film simplifies adding security features ID cards to combat identity theft and counterfeiting. The technologies are advances on SABIC's Lexan Secure ID film portfolio introduced several years ago.

"Identity theft and the risk of counterfeiting call for increased functionality and innovation in electronic ID card design," said Lennard Markestein, global marketing director for Innovative Plastics' Specialty Film & Sheet. "These two new Lexan film technologies are critical additions to our ID card film portfolio, providing our customers significantly higher productivity in card production while incorporating a laser-engravable layer and a brand-new option to create more sustainable cards with longer useful life of the ID cards.

Lexan SDCX has a core layer of white opaque or transparent Lexan film with a clear, laser-engravable cap layer. Lexan SC92E hard-coated film for card overlays surpasses standard PC film in durability, including scratch and chemical resistance, helping to extend useful life and reduce resource consumption.

As more sophisticated security features are incorporated into the latest electronic ID cards and documents, additional layers are required to construct them. Lexan SDCX films also provide outstanding resistance to heat and frequent bending